Is Bob Dylan’s ‘Visions of Johanna’ intentionally riddled with mistakes?
Many moments define Bob Dylan’s career. Widely regarded as one of the best songwriters ever to make two words rhyme, there have been a lot of instances where people have collectively nodded their heads and thought, “Yeah, that’s the best”. Still, arguably, the release of ‘Visions of Johanna’ was one of the singer’s crowning achievements.
Coming in at over seven minutes long, the song’s imperfections are what make it perfect. It featured incredibly off-kilter instrumentation and some of the most poetic lyrics that have ever been committed to a record. It is so well-regarded by musicians and critics that various artists like Marianna Faithfull and the Grateful Dead have covered it. On top of that, Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, during an interview with The Guardian, deemed it to have the best lyrics ever written.
‘Visions of Johanna’ doesn’t just highlight Bob Dylan as a good lyricist but also brings his poetic nature to the forefront. Poetry is not as simple as making words rhyme to a rhythm; poets use various methods to convey different types of emotion throughout their work, and Bob Dylan does the same here. While poets might move the placement of words to other sections of the page, Dylan instead utilises vocal rhythm and instrumentation to engage further with his creative side, and the result is beautiful.
Throughout the song, intertwined with his beautiful lyricism, there are notes missed and melodies abandoned by Dylan. If this resulted from a lesser musician, it may be deemed a simple mistake or lapse in judgment; however, with Dylan, nothing is ever that easy. The mistakes are likely intentional, further playing into the track’s theme of love and allowing the singer to flex his intricate approach to structure. This theory is boosted by the fact when mistakes occur, in their nature, they align with the song’s poetry.
One of the first is when Dylan sings, “We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight.” When delivering this line, rather than sticking with the melody that has already been established in the first verse, he completely abandons it. He gives the listener a deadpan delivery, which is almost alarming. The uneasiness of these few seconds of the song complements what is being said, as it’s followed by the watchman asking Dylan if it’s “him or them that’s insane.”
On top of that, at around the six-minute mark, Dylan and his band start to miss out on notes. There are some mistakes in the line, “The fiddler, he now steps to the road.” The change is subtle but perfectly complements the track’s narrative. After that, the bass also misses notes, which plays into the overriding theme.
In the same way poetry can be picked apart and the true meaning of a piece interpreted differently by different people, so too can Dylan’s ‘Visions of Johanna’. It was released decades ago, and its meaning is still debated, proving just how intricate Bob Dylan can be in how he writes songs.
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